First Generation Computers (1940-1956)
• They were often enormous and taking up entire room.
• First generation computers relied on machine language.
• They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions.
• The UNIVAC, ENIAC, IBM 650, IBM 701, etc. computers are examples of first-generation computing devices.
- They use machine language as programming language
- Punched cards and paper tape used as input/output devices.
- There were about 100 different vacuum tube computers produced between 1942 and1963.
Second Generation Computers (1956-1963)
• Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic.
• High-level programming languages were also being developed at this time, such as early versions of COBOL and FORTRAN.
• These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory. Second Generation.
Magnetic core and magnetic tape / disk used as memory.
- They use assembly language as programing language.
- They also used punched cards and magnetic tape Input/output devices
- Examples – IBM 1401, IBM 7090 and 7094, UNIVAC 1107, etc.
Third Generation Computers (1964-1971)
• Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors.
• Instead of punched cards and printouts, users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitors and interfaced with an operating system.
• Large magnetic core, magnetic tape / disk is used as memory.
- High level language (FORTRAN, BASIC, Pascal, COBOL, C, etc.) as Programming language
- Magnetic tape, keyboard, monitor, printer, etc are used as Input / output devices
- IBM 360, IBM 370, PDP-11, UNIVAC 1108, etc. are the examples of fourth generation computer.
Fourth Generation Computers (1971-present)
• The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, located all the components of the computer.
• From the central processing unit and memory to input/output controls—on a single chip.
• . Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices. Fourth Generation Computer.
- Main electronic component of this gen. are very large-scale integration (VLSI) and microprocessor.
- VLSI contains thousands of transistors on a single microchip.
- Semiconductor memory (such as RAM, ROM, etc.) uses as memory.
- RAM (random-access memory) – a type of data storage (memory element) used in computers that temporary stores of programs and data (volatile: its contents are lost when the computer is turned off).
- ROM (read-only memory) – a type of data storage used in computers that permanently stores data and programs (non-volatile: its contents are retained even when the computer is turned off).
- High level language (Python, C#, Java, JavaScript, Rust, Kotlin, etc.) is used as Programming language .
- Input / output devices are keyboard, pointing devices, optical scanning, monitor, printer, etc.
- Some examples of this generation computers are IBM PC, STAR 1000, APPLE II, Apple Macintosh, etc.
Fifth Generation Computers (present and beyond)
• Are still in development, though there are some applications, such as voice recognition.
• The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. • The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization.
- Main electronic component is based on artificial intelligence, uses the Ultra Large-Scale Integration (ULSI) technology and parallel processing method.
- ULSI – millions of transistors on a single microchip
- Parallel processing method – use two or more microprocessors to run tasks simultaneously.
- It can understand natural language (human language).
- Input / output devices are keyboard, monitor, mouse, trackpad (or touchpad), touchscreen, pen, speech input (recognise voice / speech), light scanner, printer, etc.
- For Example – desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.
Basic Terms:
– an electronic device that controls the flow of electrons in a vacuum. It used as a switch, amplifier, or display screen in many older model radios, televisions, computers, etc.
– an electronic component that can be used as an amplifier or as a switch. It is used to control the flow of electricity in radios, televisions, computers, etc.
– a small electronic circuit printed on a chip (usually made of silicon) that contains many its own circuit elements (e.g. transistors, diodes, resistors, etc.).
– an electronic component held on an integrated circuit that contains a computer’s central processing unit (CPU) and other associated circuits.
– a cylinder coated with magnetic material, on which data and programs can be stored.
– uses arrays of small rings of magnetized material called cores to store information.
